"I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community," Nolan said, speaking for the cast and crew of "The Dark Knight Rises."

"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie," he continued. "I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime."

The director of the "Batman" trilogy talked about the movie theater as his "home," one that, with all the shocking violence and death, had been desecrated "in such an unbearably savage way."

Warner Brothers has already announced it would be pulling all TV spots for the movie, and a trailer for another upcoming film, "Gangster Squad" because it features a graphic, violent scene in which several men open fire on a movie theater crowd.

In the wake of the shooting, some theater chains have made adjustments in the interests of making the potentially tense experience a bit smoother for customers who are turning up to see "The Dark Knight" despite the events in Colorado.

The Los Angeles Times reports AMC Theatres is banning any kind of costumes that make other patrons uncomfortable, also disallowing fake weapons and masks. Regal Entertainment, too, said it would exercise "stricter controls" on "character attire."

Both theater chains added they would address refunds or exchanges to customers that request them.